Tag Archives: ostrich

Science and medicine have come so far over the last 50 years that it’s easy to presume there is a “cure” for everything, or at least a treatment that’ll ease any pain or other disabling symptoms and extend your life. But that is hardly the reality for millions of folks suffering from either rare or just simply mysterious illnesses that medical researchers have yet to crack. I don’t know what is worse: to find yourself saddled with conditions in the class of those “un-cracked” diseases or to be suffering from diseases and conditions for which treatments (or even cures) ARE available but you can’t take them because you either can’t afford it or because you have other diseases or conditions at the same time that make you ineligible for such treatment. I happen to be in that last category and can honestly say it really sucks! But I also think that there is no good reason for anyone to actually try to weigh “what sucks more” as that would end up invalidating the frustrations and grief experienced by those in whichever group is found to “suck less”. Nothing positive can come out of being subjected to others who try to deny the reality of your situation and who attempt to invalidate your feelings. All it accomplishes is adding to the frustration, stress, and feelings of isolation you already feel.

While those who suffer from any medical condition in any of the above categories can (and should) attempt to educate their family, friends, bosses and coworkers about the reality of their situation (particularly if does or can have a direct impact on those others), too often those “others” don’t WANT to be educated. Usually, such reactions are out of fear for their own health, comfort, or other personal interest. But IMHO, from my personal observations, any benefit gained from sticking one’s head in the sand is doomed to be short-lived and eventually regretted. (Ed. That’s not intended as a threat to anyone, as it is simply the statistical truth based on experience and the laws of probability). Quite candidly, I’ve finally learned to recognize that the consequences suffered by such Ostriches, due to their deliberately maintaining a status of “plausible deniability”, is THEIR problem, not mine. I am no longer willing to waste my time trying to open the eyes of those human ostriches as experience has taught they will only ever see what they want to see. My mission is not to console the regretful naysayers, but to help myself and others who face no viable treatment or cure available to them. My 2012 plan towards achieving that goal via my blog is to research, explore, blog and share different ways to Live (with a capital “L”) even while we’re struggling just to survive.

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HEMOCHROMATOSIS

Hereditary Hemochromatosis (HFE) is a leading cause of iron overload disease. People with HFE absorb extra amounts of iron from the daily diet. The human body cannot rid itself of extra iron. Over time, these excesses build up in major organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas, joints and pituitary. If the extra iron is not removed, these organs can become diseased. Untreated hemochromatosis can be fatal.

Iron is an essential nutrient found in many foods. Iron carries oxygen (in hemoglobin) to all parts of the body. Normally, humans absorb about 8-10% of the iron in foods that they eat. People with HFE can absorb four times that amount. Individuals with hemochromatosis absorb too much iron from the diet. Iron cannot be excreted therefore the metal can reach toxic levels in tissues of major organs such as the liver, heart, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, and synovium (joints). These overburdened organs cease to function properly and eventually become diseased.

Therefore, undiagnosed and untreated HFE increases the risk for diseases and conditions such as diabetes mellitus, irregular heart beat or heart attack, arthritis (osteoarthritis, osteoporosis), cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer, depression, impotence, infertility, hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, and some cancers. Mismanaged iron in the brain is seen in those patients with neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's, early onset Parkinson's, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington's disease.